“Many of us have been afraid for so long… it feels normal.” – Until Today

I’d like you to try a visualization. Imagine a childhood fear, like the Boogie Man in the dark closet late at night. Imagine seeing past his fangs, his drooling saliva, and his howling scream. Now slowly, with invincible courage and faith, walk up to him, put your arms around him and say, “It’s ok. Don’t be scared. I love you.” Imagine his face softening and as he gently lays his head upon your shoulder, he wraps his arms around you. When you look up, he’s no longer a scary Boogie Man, instead he’s just a child that was yearning to be loved. From this point forward, when the Boogie Man appears in your life, whether in others, or in a scary experience, or even inside of us, close your eyes, wrap your arms around him, and give him your courageous love. When I am fearless enough to choose love rather than reacting in anger or self-pity, the Boogie Man just melts away and… ILML!   

– JamieQ

“… placing my will and my life into the care of a Higher Power.” – Courage to Change 

It’s easy for me to place my will and my life into the hands of God when I’m spiritually centered, when I’m at a meeting, when everything is going my way, or when I’m praying or meditating. But it’s a whole other story for me to do it when I’m frustrated, things are not going my way, or I am determined to get something that I want. In those moments, I am driving the car, and telling God to hop into the backseat. I am under the delusion that I can handle things much better than my higher power. What I have forgotten is that God is not some control freak trying to prevent me from being happy. Rather, my higher power is the intended manifestation of increased goodness in my life. So why in the world would try to push that away? When I take the time to nurture my mind, body and spirit with love, kindness, understanding and gratitude, I much more likely to have God guiding my thoughts, attitudes, and actions. And when that’s going on… ILML!

– JamieQ

I release all anger, resentment and blame. I truly forgive all those that need forgiving, and I forgive myself. I look forward to this day with love, and peace, and joy and anticipation of abundance in every area. This will be one of the best days I have ever had. I love you.” – Louise Hay Morning Meditation

We’ve all heard it before. The power of positive thought, the attitude of gratitude, and living in the moment. These aren’t ideas that might or might not work to make our life better – they are scientifically proven ones. It’s pretty simple. When I don’t take the time to do the daily deal, life just isn’t as great, and I’m not so happy. But when I invest an hour or two each morning in doing the deal, no matter what has happened in my past, or what is coming my way, ILML!

– JamieQ

“Repair attempts are very significant…” – Attitudes of Gratitude in Love 
In every relationship, especially intimate ones, there will come a time when one, or both of us, feel hurt. Someone may have said harsh words, lied, or done something we feel is unacceptable. It’s at this point that we begin to nurture our resentment, which will fester and make us sick and unhappy until we attempt to repair it. Regardless of whether we remain in the relation or ultimately choose to leave, it’s important for us to forgive others when they attempt to repair a broken relationship, and for us to try to repair it whenever they feel hurt – even if we didn’t mean to hurt them. Forgiveness doesn’t mean we condone their behavior, it just means we don’t want to be imprisoned by it. The more I turn away from hurt and fear towards love, the more ILML! 

– JamieQ

“And we have ceased fighting anything or anyone…” – AA pg.84
Thinking “I know best” has gotten me into a world of trouble. In fact, from time to time, it still does. This righteousness and need to let others in on my vast source of knowledge closes the door on an abundance of gifts and evolution that awaits me. But when I surrender my know-it-all-ism long enough to consider the words and opinions of others, and even try them on for size, I allow my world to expand with infinite opportunities. As with God, the moment that my desire to have a higher power in my life became greater than my insistence that God did not exist, I felt the overwhelming presence of God in my life. So today I’ll stop trying to know, control, manage, judge and direct. Instead I’ll make it a day of growth and learning. By opening myself to the ideas of others, I become enriched and ILML! 

– JamieQ

“It’s not a question of what we can find fault with, but what we can love, value and appreciate,” – Adapted from Courage to Change

I an authoritative expert at discovering errors, mistakes and all wrongs done by everyone — including me. For some strange reason, it’s incredibly easy for me to spot the problem, and it seems to have been that way my whole life. Thankfully, the program has brought awareness of this character trait to me, and the recognition that it often makes my life, and the lives of those around me, uncomfortable. Today I can use this fine tuned ability to identify the problem in order to instantly get into the solution, which is frequently just having acceptance and refocusing on the millions of things I have to be grateful for. When I use the tools of my program, like this one, in all my affairs, ILML! 

– JamieQ

“I feel acceptance is love…” – Daily Reflections 
When I refuse to accept someone’s unacceptable behavior, I continue to feel unloved. When I fail to accept some medical condition, I continue to feel scared. When I fail to accept financial struggles, I often make things worse. But acceptance doesn’t mean I’m powerless, it’s quite the opposite. Acceptance empowers me to take action. First I accept the situation as a fact. Next I take action to effectuate change, provided it’s loving and kind for everyone. And finally, if action is not possible or in everyone’s best interest, I let go and give it to God, trusting that but doing so things will work out just fine. When I remember that acceptance empowers me with choices, I stop fighting reality and ILML! 

– JamieQ

“Live every day as if it were going to be your last; for one day you’re sure to be right.” – Harry Morant

I think that to live until 80 years old would be a pretty long life. But 80 years is only 29,200 days. And as an adult, from 18 on, that’s only 22,630 days. But since I’m 55, that would mean I have only 9,125 days left, and that’s only if I make it to 80! Have you ever figured out how many days you have left? I can promise you, once you do, you may think twice about wasting any of them being upset or unhappy. So today I will let go of fear and drama and instead dance, sing, play, laugh, smile, jump, run, do my spin arounds, skateboard, eat and drink healthy, delicious tasting food, kiss, hug, rest, meditate, exercise, be productive, fellowship with others, feel the wind and sunshine on my face, hug a tree – today I insist on having some fun. Because when I recognize how precious life really is, and take concrete actions that lead to it’s enjoyment, ILML!

– Jamie

“Discipline magically leads to results in your life… (it) cannot be forced upon you…” – Until Today

The payoff I get from being self-disciplined in my program rituals is magical – I get to love my life! It’s like winning the lottery of life every morning and only paying $1 each day. My rituals consist of consciously staying connected to source, saying affirmations out loud, yelling out I love my life, highlighting books from my spiritual backpack, journaling, writing and sharing gratitude lists, sending out these inspirational messages, connecting with others who love in the solution, using program principles in all my affairs, attending AA and Alanon meetings, and making amends as soon as I become aware that I’ve hurt someone (intentionally or unintentionally). By staying self-disciplined, and rigorously repeating healthy behaviors on a daily basis, my perception and attitude remain healthy and ILML! 

– JamieQ

“If we live each day to the best of our ability, we will soon find we don’t have time to worry about the future or regret the past. We will be too busy enjoying life.” – Alanon—Hope for Children of Alcoholics, p. 56

If we hang around in recovery long enough, we will hear this theme over and over again. But the truth is – at least for me – that it’s impossible to not reflect on the past, or think about the future. What I strive for is to not get stuck. When I’m replaying the past too often, I’m stuck. When I’m excited or scared about something in the future too often, I’m stuck. When I get lost and stop living in the now, my secret for getting back to the present is awareness. By consciously exercising my awareness muscle, I’m able to recognize when I’m overly focused on the past or the future. Only then can I apply program solutions to calm my mind and bring it back into this moment of time. When I take those actions, suddenly I find myself back, feeling grateful for everything and ILML! 

– James